Search

Background: Mg 24 is a strongly deformed nucleus in the ground state. Deformation effects can be observed in the structure of the isoscalar giant monopole and quadrupole resonances. Mg 24 is also a nucleus that is well known to present different types of cluster-oscillation modes. Both giant resonances and cluster states are strongly populated by isoscalar transitions. Purpose: To extract the E 0 , E 1 , and E 2 transition strengths via Li 6 scattering. The Li 6 probe is a powerful tool for investigating the isoscalar nuclear response with a very favorable ratio of resonance-to-continuum background. Method: Double-differential cross sections of Li 6 inelastic scattering, at the beam energy of 100 MeV/u, were measured in the excitation-energy range 10 – 40 MeV and scattering angles 0 − 3 ∘ . A multipole-decomposition analysis was performed for extracting the isoscalar E 0 , E 1 , and E 2 strength distributions. Results: The extracted multipole strengths were compared with predictions from consistent quasiparticle random phase approximation calculations. The theoretical predictions are in fair agreement with the experimental data. The E 0 strength was also compared with results from antisymmetrized molecular dynamics calculations found in the literature. A few peaks in the experimental data might be associated with clustering in Mg 24 . Conclusions: Ground-state deformation effects were observed in the isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) and isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance (ISGQR) distributions. The ISGMR strength is split in two peaks around 19 and 28 MeV. The ISGQR exhibits a pronounced peak at 20 MeV with a broadening at the low-energy region, similar to predictions from microscopic calculations. Signatures of excitation of cluster states were observed in the E 0 response. Further studies including particle-decay measurements will be required to confirm the nature of the observed peaks.

High-spin excited states of $^{135}\mathrm{Pm}$ have been investigated using the $^{107}\mathrm{Ag}(^{32}\mathrm{S}$, $2p2n$) reaction at 145-MeV beam energy. Three negative-parity bands have been investigated up to $\ensuremath{\sim}9.0\ensuremath{-}$, $7.6\ensuremath{-}$, and $6.9\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{MeV}$ excitation energies with spin parities $(55/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}})$, $(49/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}})$, and $(47/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}})\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\hbar}$, respectively. The experimental results have been interpreted using the triaxial projected shell model. It is shown that the observation of the parallel band structures can be explained in terms of crossing of two $s$ bands with the yrast band, which is a rare phenomenon for an odd-$A$ nucleus. Further, the lifetimes of levels in yrast band have been extracted using Doppler shift attenuation method. The evaluated $B(E2)$ values of yrast states show the loss of collectivity at higher spin, attributed to the alignment process.

Isoscalar giant resonances, being the archetypal forms of collective nuclear behavior, have been studied extensively for decades with the goal of constraining bulk nuclear properties of the equation of state, as well as for modeling dynamical behaviors within stellar environments. An important such mode is the isoscalar electric giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) that can be understood as a radially symmetric density vibration within the saturated nuclear volume. The field has a few key open questions, which have been proposed and remain unresolved. One of the more provocative questions is the extra high-energy strength in the $A\approx 90$ region, which manifested in large percentages of the $E0$ sum rule in $^{92}$Zr and $^{92}$Mo above the main ISGMR peak. The purpose of this article is to introduce these questions within the context of experimental investigations into the phenomena in the zirconium and molybdenum isotopic chains, and to address, via a discussion of previously published and preliminary results, the implications of recent experimental efforts on extraction of the nuclear incompressibility from this data., 9 pages, 7 figures, invited to be submitted to a special issue of EPJA honoring Prof. P. F. Bortignon

Lifetimes of excited states of the ground-state rotational band in the $^{136}\mathrm{Sm}$ nucleus have been measured up to ${I}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={20}^{+}$ using the Doppler-shift attenuation method. The states were populated in the reaction $^{107}\mathrm{Ag}$($^{32}\mathrm{S}$, $1p2n$) at 145-MeV beam energy and the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays emitted from the excited states were detected using the Indian National Gamma Array at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. The extracted transitional quadrupole moments indicate a reduction of collectivity with increasing spin after the band crossing. The results have been compared with the predictions of the cranked shell model as well as the triaxial projected shell-model calculations and indicate that the nucleus evolves from prolate $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-soft to a stable triaxially deformed shape after the first and the second crossing involving $\ensuremath{\pi}{h}_{11/2}^{2}$ and $\ensuremath{\pi}{h}_{11/2}^{2}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\ensuremath{\nu}{h}_{11/2}^{2}$ configurations, respectively.

High-spin states in Zr89 were populated in the Se80(C13,4n) reaction, and γ-ray coincidences were measured using the Indian National Gamma Array. The level scheme of Zr89 has been extended up to spin I=49/2 with the observation of a new dipole band. Directional correlation and polarization asymmetries of the γ rays have been measured to determine spin and parity of the levels. Line shapes of several transitions have been analyzed to determine lifetimes of the levels. Possible configurations of the band have been discussed using the cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky model. The calculations suggest a triaxial shape of the nucleus at high spins, and the band may represent rotation of the nucleus about the longest axis.

The Isoscalar Giant Monopole Resonance (ISGMR) and the Isoscalar Giant Dipole Resonance (ISGDR) compression modes have been studied in the doubly-magic unstable nucleus 56Ni. They were measured by inelastic α-particle scattering in inverse kinematics at 50MeV/u with the MAYA active target at the GANIL facility. The centroid of the ISGMR has been obtained at Ex=19.1 ±0.5MeV. Evidence for the low-lying part of the ISGDR has been found at Ex=17.4 ±0.7MeV. The strength distribution for the dipole mode shows similarity with the prediction from the Hartree–Fock (HF) based random-phase approximation (RPA)[1]. These measurements confirm inelastic α-particle scattering as a suitable probe for exciting the ISGMR and the ISGDR modes in radioactive isotopes in inverse kinematics This work was supported by the European Commission within the Seventh Framework Programme through IA-ENSAR (contract No. RII3-CT-2010-262010) and GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany, and the United States National Science Foundation (Grants Number PHY-1068192 and PHY-1419765) SI

"Why are the tin isotopes soft?" has remained, for the past decade, an open problem in nuclear structure physics: models which reproduce the isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) in the "doubly-closed shell" nuclei, $^{90}$Zr and $^{208}$Pb, overestimate the ISGMR energies of the open-shell tin and cadmium nuclei, by as much as 1 MeV. In an effort to shed some light onto this problem, we present results of detailed studies of the ISGMR in the molybdenum nuclei, with the goal of elucidating where--and how--the softness manifests itself between $^{90}$Zr and the cadmium and tin isotopes. The experiment was conducted using the $^{94,96,98,100}$Mo($\alpha,\alpha^\prime$) reaction at $E_\alpha = 386$ MeV. A comparison of the results with relativistic, self-consistent Random-Phase Approximation calculations indicates that the ISGMR response begins to show softness in the molybdenum isotopes beginning with $A=92$., Comment: Accepted for publication to Physics Letters B

Background: Inelastic neutrino-nucleus scattering is important for understanding core-collapse supernovae and the detection of emitted neutrinos from such events in earth-based detectors. Direct measurement of the cross sections is difficult and has only been performed on a few nuclei. It is, therefore, important to develop indirect techniques from which the inelastic neutrino-nucleus scattering cross sections can be determined. Purpose: This paper presents a development of the (Li-6,Li-6*[T = 1, T-z = 0, 0(+), 3.56 MeV]) reaction at 100 MeV/u as a probe for isolating the isovector spin-transfer response in the inelastic channel (Delta S = 1, Delta T = 1, Delta T-z = 0) from which the Gamow-Teller transition strengths from nuclei of relevance for inelastic neutrino-nucleus scattering cross sections can be extracted. Method: By measuring the Li-6 ejectile in a magnetic spectrometer and selecting events in which the 3.56 MeV gamma ray from the decay of the Li-6*[3.56 MeV] state is detected, the isovector spin-transfer selectivity is obtained. High-purity germanium clover detectors served to detect the gamma rays. Doppler reconstruction was used to determine the gamma energy in the rest frame of Li-6. From the Li-6 and 3.56 MeV gamma-momentum vectors the excitation energy of the residual nucleus was determined. Results: In the study of the C-12(Li-6,Li-6*[3.56 MeV]) reaction, the isovector spin-transfer excitation-energy spectrum in the inelastic channel was successfully measured. The strong Gamow-Teller state in C-12 at 15.1 MeV was observed. Comparisons with the analog C-12(Li-6,He-6) reaction validate the method of extracting the Gamow-Teller strength. In measurements of the Mg-24, Nb-93(Li-6,Li-6*[3.56 MeV]) reactions, the 3.56 MeV gamma peak could not be isolated from the strong background in the gamma spectrum from the decay of the isoscalar excitations. It is argued that by using a gamma-ray tracking array instead of a clover array, it is feasible to extend the mass range over which the (Li-6,Li-6*) reaction can be used for extracting the isovector spin-transfer response up to mass numbers of similar to 25 and perhaps higher. Conclusions: It is demonstrated that the (Li-6,Li-6*[3.56 MeV]) reaction probe can be used to isolate the inelastic isovector spin-transfer response in nuclei. Application to nuclei with mass numbers of about 25 or more, however, will require a more efficient gamma-ray array with a better tracking capability.

The isoscalar giant monopole, dipole, and quadrupole strength distributions have been deduced in $^{90,92}\mathrm{Zr}$ and $^{92}\mathrm{Mo}$ from ``background-free'' spectra of inelastic $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-particle scattering at a beam energy of 385 MeV at extremely forward angles, including ${0}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$. These strength distributions were extracted by a multipole-decomposition analysis based on the expected angular distributions of the respective multipoles. All these strength distributions for the three nuclei practically coincide with each other, affirming that giant resonances, being collective phenomena, are not influenced by nuclear shell structure near $A\ensuremath{\sim}90$, contrary to the claim in a recent measurement.

The isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) strength distribution in $^{24}$Mg has been determined from background-free inelastic scattering of 386-MeV $\alpha$ particles at extreme forward angles, including 0$^{\circ}$. The ISGMR strength distribution has been observed for the first time to have a two-peak structure in a light-mass nucleus. This splitting of ISGMR strength is explained well by microscopic theory in terms of the prolate deformation of the ground state of $^{24}$Mg., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; to be published in Phys. Lett. B

The (10Be,10B [1.74 MeV]) charge-exchange reaction at 100 AMeV is presented as a new probe for isolating the isovector (ΔT = 1) non-spin-transfer (ΔS = 0) response of nuclei, with 28Si being the rst nucleus studied. By using a secondary 10Be beam produced by fast fragmentation of 18O nuclei at the NSCL Coupled Cyclotron Facility, applying the dispersion-matching technique with the S800 magnetic spectrometer to determine the excitation energy in 28Al, and performing high- resolution -ray tracking with the Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETINA) to identify the 1022-keV ray associated with the decay from the 1.74-MeV T = 1 isobaric analog state in 10B, a ΔS = 0 excitation-energy spectrum in 28Al was extracted. Monopole and dipole contributions were determined through a multipole-decomposition analysis, and the isovector giant dipole (IVGDR) and monopole (IVGMR) resonances were identi ed. The results show that this probe is a powerful tool for studying the elusive IVGMR, which is of interest for performing stringent tests of modern density functional theories at high excitation energies and for constraining the bulk properties of nuclei and nuclear matter. The extracted distributions were compared with theoretical calculations based on the normal-modes formalism and the proton-neutron relativistic time-blocking approximation. Calculated cross sections based on these strengths underestimate the data by about a factor of two, which likely indicates de ciencies in the reaction calculations based on the distorted wave Born approximation.

The excitation of the isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) in $^{116}$Sn and $^{208}$Pb has been investigated using small-angle (including $0^\circ$) inelastic scattering of 100 MeV/u deuteron and multipole-decomposition analysis (MDA). The extracted strength distributions agree well with those from inelastic scattering of 100 MeV/u $\alpha$ particles. These measurements establish deuteron inelastic scattering at E$_d \sim$ 100 MeV/u as a suitable probe for extraction of the ISGMR strength with MDA, making feasible the investigation of this resonance in radioactive isotopes in inverse kinematics., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Phys. Lett. B

The structure of odd–odd nuclei, such as 36Cl, offers a scope for investigating the underlying proton– neutron residual interaction. Such nuclei exhibit highly complex level structures due to the large number of possible couplings of the odd proton and neutron to the even–even core. In the analysis of the experimental data for the 36Cl nucleus, a few new gamma rays was also obtained; they were carefully placed in the level structure using coincidence techniques and relative intensities. The directional correlation from oriented nuclei ratios for the new as well as the known γ-ray transitions was also calculated.

Excited states of $^{133}$La have been investigated to search for the wobbling excitation mode in the low-spin regime. Wobbling bands with $n_\omega$ = 0 and 1 are identified along with the interconnecting $\Delta I$ = 1, $E2$ transitions, which are regarded as one of the characteristic features of the wobbling motion. An increase in wobbling frequency with spin implies longitudinal wobbling for $^{133}$La, in contrast with the case of transverse wobbling observed in $^{135}$Pr. This is the first observation of a longitudinal wobbling band in nuclei. The experimental observations are accounted for by calculations using the quasiparticle-triaxial-rotor (QTR) model, which attribute the appearance of longitudinal wobbling to the early alignment of a $\pi=+$ proton pair., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, 1 table

"Background-free" spectra of inelastic $\alpha$-particle scattering have been measured at a beam energy of 385 MeV in $^{90, 92}$Zr and $^{92}$Mo at extremely forward angles, including 0$^{\circ}$. The ISGMR strength distributions for the three nuclei coincide with each other, establishing clearly that nuclear incompressibility is not influenced by nuclear shell structure near $A\sim$90 as was claimed in recent measurements., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in Phys. Lett. B

Multipole strength distributions for isoscalar $L\ensuremath{\le}2$ transitions in $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ have been extracted using 386-MeV inelastic $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ scattering at extremely forward angles, including ${0}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$. Observed strength distributions are in good agreement with microscopic calculations for an oblate-deformed ground state. In particular, a large peak at an excitation energy of 17.7 MeV in the isoscalar giant monopole resonance strength is consistent with the calculations.

Strength distributions for isoscalar giant resonances with multipolarity $L\ensuremath{\le}2$ have been determined in $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$ from ``instrumental background-free'' inelastic scattering of 386-MeV $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ particles at extreme forward angles, including ${0}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$. The isoscalar $E0, E1$, and $E2$ strengths are observed to be $57\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}7%, 111.{1}_{\ensuremath{-}7.2}^{+10.9}%$, and $148.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}7.3%$, respectively, of their energy-weighted sum rules in the excitation energy range of 6 to 35 MeV. The isoscalar giant monopole (ISGMR) and quadrupole (ISGQR) resonances exhibit a prominent $K$ splitting which is consistent with microscopic theory for a prolate-deformed ground state of $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$. For the ISGQR it is due to splitting of the three $K$ components, whereas for the ISGMR it is due to its coupling to the $K=0$ component of the ISGQR. Deformation effects on the isoscalar giant dipole resonance are less pronounced, however.

Medium and high-spin states in $^{133}$Ce were investigated using the $^{116}$Cd($^{22}$Ne, $5n$) reaction and the Gammasphere array. The level scheme was extended up to an excitation energy of $\sim22.8$ MeV and spin 93/2 . Eleven bands of quadrupole transitions and two new dipole bands are identified. The connections to low-lying states of the previously known, high-spin triaxial bands were firmly established, thus fixing the excitation energy and, in many cases, the spin parity of the levels. Based on comparisons with cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations and tilted axis cranking covariant density functional theory, it is shown that all observed bands are characterized by pronounced triaxiality. Competing multiquasiparticle configurations are found to contribute to a rich variety of collective phenomena in this nucleus., 20 pages, 11 figures

High-spin states in $^{134}\mathrm{Ce}$ have been investigated using the $^{116}\mathrm{Cd}(^{22}\mathrm{Ne},4n)$ reaction and the Gammasphere array. The level scheme has been extended to an excitation energy of $\ensuremath{\sim}30$ MeV and spin $\ensuremath{\sim}54\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\hbar}$. Two new dipole bands and four new sequences of quadrupole transitions were identified. Several new transitions have been added to a number of known bands. One of the strongly populated dipole bands was revised and placed differently in the level scheme, resolving a discrepancy between experiment and model calculations reported previously. Configurations are assigned to the observed bands based on cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations. A coherent understanding of the various excitations, both at low and high spins, is thus obtained, supporting an interpretation in terms of coexistence of stable triaxial, highly deformed, and superdeformed shapes up to very high spins. Rotations around different axes of the triaxial nucleus, and sudden changes of the rotation axis in specific configurations, are identified, further elucidating the nature of high-spin collective excitations in the $A=130$ mass region.

The giant monopole resonance (GMR) has been investigated in the even-A Cd and Pb isotopes 112−124 Cd, and 204−208 Pb, with the aim of obtaining a confirmatory "experimental" value for the asymmetry term in nuclear incompressibility, Kτ , and to test the Mutual Enhancement Magicity (MEM) effect in nuclear incompressibilities. The latter was advanced as a possible explanation of the puzzling "softness" of the Sn and Cd nuclei, as evidenced by their low GMR energies as compared to theoretical predictions. The GMR results in the Cd isotopes give a value Kτ = �490± 100 MeV, in close agreement with the value obtained previously from the Sn isotopes. Our results rule out the MEM effect as an explanation of the aforementioned "softness" observed for the Sn and Cd nuclei. The asymmetry term of nuclear incompressibility, Kτ , associated with the neutron-excess (NZ), is crucial in obtaining the radii of neutron stars in the equation of state (EOS) calculations. 1)-4) It has been suggested that the radius of a neutron star whose mass is between about 1.0 and 1.5 solar masses (M� )i s mostly determined by the density dependence of the symmetry-energy term. 5),6) In recent measurements on the giant monopole resonance (GMR) in the even- A Sn isotopes (A = 112 � 124), we had obtained an "experimental" value for this term, Kτ = �550 ± 100 MeV. 7),8) This number is in agreement with the value Kτ = �500 +125100 MeV, obtained by Centelles et al. 9) from constraints put by neutron- skin data from anti-protonic atoms across the mass table; Kτ = �500 ± 50 MeV obtained by Sagawa et al. 10) by comparing our Sn GMR data with calculations using different Skyrme Hamiltonians and RMF Lagrangians; and, Kτ = �370 ± 120 MeV obtained from an analysis of the isotopic transport ratios in medium- energy heavy-ion reactions. 11) Combined with the value of K∞ = 240 ± 10 MeV extracted from data on GMR and the other compression-mode, the isoscalar giant dipole resonance (ISGDR), 12),13) this value for Kτ may provide a means of selecting the most appropriate of the interactions commonly used in nuclear structure and EOS calculations. To confirm the value of Kτ obtained from the GMR in the Sn isotopes, we have investigated the GMR in the another series of isotopes, viz. 106,110,112,114,116 Cd using inelastic scattering of 400-MeV α particles at extremely forward angles, including 0 ◦ . The measurements were performed at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP) at Osaka University, Japan, using the Grand Raiden spectrometer. The experimental techniques and data analysis procedures were identical to those in the measurements described previously for the Sn isotopes. 7),8)

The transition quadrupole moments. Q(t), of four weakly populated collective bands up to spin similar to 65h in Er-157,Er-158 have been measured to be similar to II eb demonstrating that these sequences are associated with large deformations. However, the data are inconsistent with calculated values from cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations that predict the lowest energy triaxial shape to be associated with rotation about the short principal axis. The data appear to favor either a stable triaxial shape rotating about the intermediate axis or, alternatively, a triaxial shape with larger deformation rotating about the short axis. These new results challenge the present understanding of triaxiality in nuclei. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)

The measurement of the Isoscalar Giant Monopole Resonance(GMR) in unstable nuclei remains a major experimental challenge due to low radioactive beam intensities and unfavourable conditions in reverse kinematics. At GANIL, we have tested a new experimental method based on the unique capabilities of the active target Maya to probe the GMR by the inelastic scattering reaction 56Ni(d,d') at 50 AMeV. The preliminary excitation energy spectrum of 56Ni presents a bump between 12 and 25 MeV where isoscalar resonances are expected. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two interacting, strongly-deformed triaxial (TSD) bands have been identified in the Z = 69 nucleus ^{163}Tm. This is the first time that interacting TSD bands have been observed in an element other than the Z = 71 Lu nuclei, where wobbling bands have been previously identified. The observed TSD bands in ^{163}Tm appear to be associated with particle-hole excitations, rather than wobbling. Tilted-Axis Cranking (TAC) calculations reproduce all experimental observables of these bands reasonably well and also provide an explanation for the presence of wobbling bands in the Lu nuclei, and their absence in the Tm isotopes., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures

Isoscalar giant resonances have been measured in the unstable Ni68 nucleus using inelastic alpha and deuteron scattering at 50A MeV in inverse kinematics with the active target MAYA at GANIL. Using alpha scattering, the extracted isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) centroid was determined to be 21.1±1.9 MeV and the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance (ISGQR) to be 15.9±1.3 MeV. Indications for soft isoscalar monopole and dipole modes are provided. Results obtained with both (α,α′) and (d,d′) probes are compatible. The evolution of isoscalar giant resonances along the Ni isotopic chain from Ni56 to Ni68 is discussed.

A pair of transverse wobbling bands is observed in the nucleus ^{135}Pr. The wobbling is characterized by ΔI=1, E2 transitions between the bands, and a decrease in the wobbling energy confirms its transverse nature. Additionally, a transition from transverse wobbling to a three-quasiparticle band comprised of strong magnetic dipole transitions is observed. These observations conform well to results from calculations with the tilted axis cranking model and the quasiparticle rotor model.

Spectroscopy of Nuclei Under Extreme Rotation and Deformation with Large Detector Arrays

Yrast and near-yrast energy levels in the neutron-rich N ∼ 20 nuclei 34P, 36S were populated using transfer/deep-inelastic processes following the 34S + 115In reaction at an incident energy of 140MeV. The use of a multi-clover array has facilitated polarization measurements of the observed γ-rays and necessitated some changes in the previously known level scheme. The observation of the negative-parity levels in these nuclei on the periphery of the “island of inversion” is indicative of the influence of the intruder orbitals on the level structure at low spins. Shell-model calculations indicate that the inclusion of the orbitals from the upper pf shell is important even for the low-lying positive-parity states.

The strength distribution of the isoscalar giant dipole resonance (ISGDR) in $^{58}$Ni has been obtained over the energy range 10.5--49.5 MeV via extreme forward angle scattering (including 0$^{\circ}$) of 386 MeV $\alpha$ particles. We observe a ``bi-modal'' ${E1}$ strength distribution for the first time in an A $, Comment: 14 pages, including 5 figures

Background-free inelastic scattering spectra have been obtained for 144,148,150,152,154Sm with 386 MeV alpha particles at forward angles (including 0degrees) to investigate the effect of deformation on the isoscalar giant dipole resonance. The strength distributions for isoscalar giant resonances have been extracted via a multipole decomposition analysis using angular distributions calculated in the framework of the density-dependent single-folding model. The effects of deformation are found to be different for the low- and high-excitation energy components of the isoscalar giant dipole resonance. Evidence has been obtained for the theoretically-predicted mixing between the isoscalar giant dipole resonance and the high energy octupole resonance.

The direct particle decay of the isoscalar giant dipole resonance (ISGDR) has been studied in Pb-208 using the (alpha,alpha'p) and (alpha,alpha'n) reactions at a bombarding energy of 200 MeV. The direct-decay channels of proton and neutron emissions were observed in coincidence with the scattered a-particles in order to study the population of proton-hole states in Tl-207 and neutron-hole states in Pb-207. The results of the partial and total branching ratios allowed us to test recently performed continuum-RPA (CRPA) calculations for the ISGDR and thereby to learn about its microscopic structure.

The current status of the experimental work on the Isoscalar Giant Dipole Resonance (ISGDR) is reviewed. Results are presented from recent measurements at RCNP, Osaka, using small-angle inelastic scattering of 400 MeV α particles, and the implications of these results on the determination of nuclear incompressibility are discussed.

The isoscalar giant dipole resonance (ISGDR) in Pb-208 has been investigated with inelastic a-scattering of 400 MeV at extremely forward angles, including 0degrees. Energy spectra, virtually free from instrumental background, have been obtained and the ISGDR strength distribution has been extracted using a multipole-decomposition analysis (MDA). A difference-of-spectra approach yields the same ISGDR centroid energy as with MDA. These results lead to a value for nuclear incompressibility that is consistent for both the isoscalar dipole and monopole modes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.

Background-free inelastic scattering spectra have been obtained for the Sm isotopes with 400 MeV alpha particles at forward angles (including 0degrees) to investigate the effect of deformation on the compressional-mode giant resonances. The strength distributions for the isoscalar giant resonances (L

Rotational and electromagnetic properties of the yrast band in $^{102}\mathrm{Pd}$ are analyzed in terms of a phenomenological phonon model that includes anharmonic terms. Both the moment of inertia and $B(E2)$'s are well reproduced by the model, providing an independent confirmation of the multiphonon picture recently proposed. The (empirical) dependence of the phonon-phonon interaction on the phonon frequency, in Ru, Pd, and Ru isotopes, follows the expectations from particle-vibration coupling.

The isoscalar monopole response has been measured in the unstable nucleus (68)Ni using inelastic alpha scattering at 50A MeV in inverse kinematics with the active target MAYA at GANIL. The isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) centroid was determined to be 21.1 ± 1.9 MeV and indications for a soft monopole mode are provided for the first time at 12.9 ± 1.0 MeV. Analysis of the corresponding angular distributions using distorted-wave-born approximation with random-phase approximation transition densities indicates that the L = 0 multipolarity dominates the cross section for the ISGMR and significantly contributes to the low-energy mode. The L=0 part of this low-energy mode, the soft monopole mode, is dominated by neutron excitations. This demonstrates the relevance of inelastic alpha scattering in inverse kinematics in order to probe both the ISGMR and isoscalar soft modes in neutron-rich nuclei.

The high spin structure of 108 Ag nucleus has been studied using the reaction 11 B + 100 Mo at 39 MeV with Indian National Gamma Array (INGA) at TIFR-BARC accelerator facility. From the two- and higher-fold coincidence analysis of the emitted -rays, the level structure of the nucleus is built, with addition of around ∼ 60 new transi- tions. A new positive parity dipole band has been observed and significant additions have been made in the low spin region. A pair of nearly degenerate, negative parity, dipole bands is established, which is studied using the triaxial projected shell model (TPSM).

The domain of nuclei situated far from the line of b stability has always been an arena of numerous experimental pursuits and a testing ground for new theoretical models. With radioactive beams on the horizon, the physics of nuclei with an excess of neutrons or protons has become one of the focal points of nuclear physics. These nuclei define the very limits of nuclear existence and will be susceptible to phenomena associated with low binding energy, such as halos, skins, or mixing between bound and continuum states. The proton separation energy decreases with decreasing neutron number. Proton-rich nuclei, which have a negative proton separation energy and are, thus, situated beyond the proton drip-line, can spontaneously emit protons. The proton decay rate is governed by the energy and orbital angular momentum of the emitted proton. It also depends on the wave function of the proton-decaying state, which is determined by the shape of the nuclear potential and by residual interactions between valence nucleons. Most of the known proton emitters have decay rates consistent with the assumption of a spherical potential. The recent experimental

The majority of experiments performed during the 2-year long stay of GAMMAS-PHERE at the Argonne National Laboratory aimed to study proton-rich nuclei far from the line of stability at and beyond the proton drip-line. A high reaction channel selectivity was required to assign in-beam {gamma}-ray transitions to weakly populated exotic nuclei in the presence of background from strong reaction channels. In many of the experiments this was achieved by using the Argonne fragment mass analyzer to separate heavy-ion fusion-evaporation reaction products from scattered beam and disperse them according to their mass-over-charge-state ratio. For medium mass and heavy a and proton emitters the Recoil-Decay Tagging method was implemented. In-beam {gamma}-ray transitions were observed in several proton emitters between Z=50 and Z=82. Among others, rotational bands were assigned to {sup 141}Ho and {sup 131}Eu. A quadruple deformation of {beta}=0.25(4) was deduced for the ground state in {sup 141}Ho from the extracted dynamic moment of inertia. Based on observed band crossings and signature splittings the 7/2{sup {minus}} [523] and 1/2{sup +}[411] configurations were proposed for the ground state and the isomeric state, respectively. Comparison with particle-rotor calculations indicates, however, that {sup 141}Ho may have significant hexadecapole deformation and could be triaxial.

Over the past few years, very good evidence has emerged for the Isoscalar Giant Dipole Resonance from small-angle inelastic scattering of α particles between 50–100 MeV/nucleon. A reconciliation between the available theoretical predictions and the experimental results still remains far from satisfactory, however, and there are interesting implications of the observed ISGDR strengths on the experimental determination of the incompressibility of nuclear matter. Some possible future measurements are also discussed.

The isoscalar giant dipole resonance (ISGDR) in ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ has been investigated using inelastic scattering of 200 MeV $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ particles at and near 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} where the angular distribution of the ISGDR can be clearly differentiated from those of other modes. The ``difference of spectra'' technique was employed to separate the ISGDR from the high-energy octupole resonance (HEOR). These data provide the clearest evidence yet for the ISGDR adjacent to the HEOR. With these results, all expected isoscalar $\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\le}3$ resonances in ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ have been identified.

The experimental and theoretical studies of Giant Resonances, or more generally of the nuclear collective vibrations, are a well established domain in which sophisticated techniques have been introduced and firm conclusions reached after an effort of several decades. From it, information on the nuclear equation of state can be extracted, albeit not far from usual nuclear densities. In this contribution, which complements other contributions appearing in the current volume, we survey some of the constraints that have been extracted recently concerning the parameters of the nuclear symmetry energy. Isovector modes, in which neutrons and protons are in opposite phase, are a natural source of information and we illustrate the values of symmetry energy around saturation deduced from isovector dipole and isovector quadrupole states. The isotopic dependence of the isoscalar monopole energy has also been suggested to provide a connection to the symmetry energy: relevant theoretical arguments and experimental results are thoroughly discussed. Finally, we consider the case of the charge-exchange spin-dipole excitations in which the sum rule associated with the total strength gives in principle access to the neutron skin and thus, indirectly, to the symmetry energy., Updated version, with small corrections based on comments/suggestions from the referee. 12 pages, 9 figures; submitted to EPJA "Special Issue on Symmetry Energy"

Using inelastic $\alpha$-scattering at extremely forward angles, including $0^\circ$, the strength distributions of the isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) have been measured in the $^{204,206,208}$Pb isotopes in order to examine the proposed mutually enhanced magicity (MEM) effect on the nuclear incompressibility. The MEM effect had been suggested as a likely explanation of the "softness" of nuclear incompressibility observed in the ISGMR measurements in the Sn and Cd isotopes. Our experimental results rule out any manifestation of the MEM effect in nuclear incompressibility and leave the question of the softness of the open-shell nuclei unresolved still., Comment: Accepted for publication in Physics Letters B. Very minor changes in text

Two distinct sets of chiral-partner bands have been identified in the nucleus $^{133}$Ce. They constitute a multiple chiral doublet (M$\chi$D), a phenomenon predicted by relativistic mean field (RMF) calculations and observed experimentally here for the first time. The properties of these chiral bands are in good agreement with results of calculations based on a combination of the constrained triaxial RMF theory and the particle-rotor model., Comment: Minor changes based on referee reviews and corrections of some typos

Low-lying collective excitations in even-even vibrational and transitional nuclei may be described semiclassically as quadrupole running waves on the surface of the nucleus (``tidal waves''), and the observed vibrational-rotational behavior can be thought of as resulting from a rotating condensate of interacting $d$ bosons. These concepts have been investigated by measuring lifetimes of the levels in the yrast band of the $^{102}\mathrm{Pd}$ nucleus with the Doppler shift attenuation method. The extracted $B(E2)$ reduced transition probabilities for the yrast band display a monotonic increase with spin, in agreement with the interpretation based on rotation-induced condensation of aligned $d$ bosons.

Lifetimes for the lowest three transitions in the nucleus 120 Xe have been measured using the Recoil Distance Technique. Our data indicate that the lifetime for the 2 + ! 0 + transition is more than a factor of two lower than the previously adopted value and is in keeping with more recent measurements performed on this nucleus. The theoretical implications of this discrepancy and the possible reason for the erroneous earlier results are discussed. All measured lifetimes in 120 Xe, as well as the systematics of the lifetimes of the 2 + states in Xe isotopes, are compared with predictions of various models. The available data are best described by the Fermion Dynamic Symmetry

The mass region with a proton number just below the magic number $Z=82$ is known to exhibit a rich variety of shape phenomena. Inspired by the recent extensive experimental measurements of the transition probabilities for the yrast bands in some Pt isotopes in this mass region, we have performed a detailed investigation of ${}^{180\ensuremath{-}190}$Pt using the triaxial projected shell model approach (TPSM). It is demonstrated that by performing the exact three-dimensional angular-momentum projection on multi-quasiparticle configurations, constructed from the traxially deformed mean field, the TPSM provides a consistent description of the yrast band structures, the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-vibrational band, and the second ${0}^{+}$ band in these nuclei. Further, the observed rapid variations in the quadrupole transition probability along the yrast line of these isotopes are well reproduced in the present study.

Lifetimes in the yrast bands of the nuclei $^{182,186}$Pt have been measured using the Doppler-shift Recoil Distance technique. The results in both cases {\em viz.} a sharp increase in B(E2) values at very low spins, may be interpreted as resulting from a mixing between two bands of different quadrupole deformations., 12 pages; 4 figures; submitted to PRC

The isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) in even-A Cd isotopes has been studied by inelastic ${\alpha}$-scattering at 100 MeV/u and at extremely forward angles, including 0deg. The asymmetry term in the nuclear incompressibility extracted from the ISGMR in Cd isotopes is found to be $K_{\tau} = -555 \pm 75$ MeV, confirming the value previously obtained from the Sn isotopes. ISGMR strength has been computed in relativistic RPA using NL3 and FSUGold effective interactions. Both models significantly overestimate the centroids of the ISGMR strength in the Cd isotopes. Combined with other recent theoretical effort, the question of the "softness" of the open-shell nuclei in the tin region remains open still., Comment: Minor changes in text. Scaling energies added to Table I. 5 pages (2-column format), 4 figures

The compression-mode isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) has been studied in the Sn, Cd and Pb isotopes using inelastic scattering of 400 MeV {alpha}-particles at extreme forward angles, including 0 deg. We have obtained completely 'background-free' inelastic-scattering spectra for the Sn, Cd, and Pb isotopes for a wide angular and excitation-energy range. The various giant resonances excited with different transferred angular momenta were extracted by a multipole-decomposition analysis (MDA). It was found that the centroid energies of the ISGMR in Sn isotopes are significantly lower than the theoretical predictions. The K{sub {tau}} in the empirical expression for the nuclear incompressibility has been determined to be K{sub {tau}} = -550{+-}100 MeV for the Sn isotopes. The extracted value for the Cd isotopes is K{sub {tau}} = -480{+-}100 MeV. These numbers are consistent with values of K{sub {tau}} = -370{+-}120 MeV obtained from an analysis of the isotopic transport ratios in medium-energy heavy-ion reactions, K{sub {tau}} -500{sub -100}{sup +120} MeV obtained from constraints placed by neutron-skin data from anti-protonic atoms across the mass table, and K{sub {tau}} = -500{+-}50 MeV obtained from theoretical calculations using different Skyrme interactions and relativistic mean field (RMF) Lagrangians. Stringent constraints on interactions employed in nuclear structuremore » calculations are obtained on the basis of the experimentally determined values for K{sub {infinity}} and K{sub {tau}}. These parameters constrain as well the equation of state (EOS) of nuclear matter. However, a significant discrepancy still remains. The ISGMR positions in Sn and Cd isotopes are systematically lower than the predictions obtained on basis of determined from the ISGMR in {sup 208}Pb. This raises the question ''Why are Sn and Cd nuclei so soft?''. For a clue to solve the problem, we discuss the preliminary results on the exact positions of the ISGMR in {sup 204,206,208}Pb.« less

The structure of 192Pb has been investigated using the 173Yb(24Mg, 5n) reaction at Eb = 132 MeV. The level scheme has been extended up to an excitation energy of 7 MeV and a spin of 23 ħ. Two collective bands of levels linked by M1 transitions and four groups of states of non-collective character have been observed. Based on comparison with experimental data on odd-A Tl isotopes and with cranked shell-model calculations assuming an oblate shape, the collective Ml bands are interpreted as having an underlying proton 2-quasiparticle configuration coupled to a pair of rotation-aligned i 13 2 neutrons. The four groups of non-collective level-sequences are understood as 4-quasiparticle excitations associated with aligned neutron 2-quasiparticle states that involve a mixture of neutron and proton degrees of freedom.